Columbans who worked in Mindanao in the 1970s and 1980s will remember that, at many of our heated meetings on issues such as peace, social justice and concerns with the behaviour of the army or the police, one well-known Columban would ask: where is God in all of this?
I am not sure whether there was much God-inspired love for the poor, future generations and the planet itself, in the formal negotiations, as nations put their own immediate economic future before long-term concerns for the poor of the world or future generations. Once again at COP 15, there were presentations by scientific institutions such as The Hadley Centre in Britain. Warnings from them and their companions in the scientific community are becoming more apocalyptic each year in terms of telling us how quickly climate change is happening and how much more destructive the consequences will be if no serious remedial action is taken within the next decade. In that sense the failure to reach a comprehensive, ambitious and legally binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol is tragic.
On December 13, 2009, many of the participants at COP 15 attended a Ecumenical Celebrator For Creation at The Church of Our Lady, the Lutheran Cathedral of Copenhagen. During the introductory procession, three symbols of climate change were brought to the altar. These included; A stone from Greenland which was uncovered as the glaciers melted, a dried up maize plant from an area in Africa which is experiencing drought as a result of climate change, and bleached coral from islands in the Pacific where the increase in ocean temperature is killing off the coral. The hymn sung during the procession was the well-known , “All Creatures of Our God and King” based on the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu read from Psalm 136. Sr. Anna Mirijam Kascher the Secretary General of the Nordic Conference of Catholic Bishops, read the second reading from 1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 26. This was followed by the Hymn – ‘Here I am, Lord” by Dan Schutte. The final reading from was Romans 8: 18 – 25. It was read by Mads Christoffersen, Secretary General, The National Council of Churches in Denmark.
The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. It was one of the most memorable moments for me of my two week stay in Copenhagen.
Fr Sean McDonagh is a researcher on Justice Peace Integrity Creation (JPIC) priorities.
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